Courtesy of Barbara Walters(NEW YORK) — ABC News’ Barbara Walters, who interviewed Fidel Castro twice, released a statement Saturday on the death of the former Cuban president.

“I first interviewed Fidel Castro 39 years ago. He was charming and fiercely guarded about his private life. He called our interviews ‘fiery debates.’ During our times together, he made clear to me that he was an absolute dictator and that he was a staunch opponent of democracy. I told him that what we most profoundly disagreed on was the meaning of freedom.”